Dear young Europeans,

Many people are on leave this month, but campaigning never stops. So if you are around, why not take a quick action to support our campaign for residence-based voting rights?

Ok, I am here, what should I do?

Our Young Europeans Champions team prepared a model motion for local councils. It calls on councils to ask the Government to scrap plans for voter ID and support residence-based local election voting rights. You can download the document here.

We're asking our supporters to contact their councillor and ask them whether they would bring such a motion to their council. You can also link them to our campaign website, which has a comprehensive briefing paper.

But...surely Councils cannot make a difference?

It is true that residence-based voting rights in England and Northern Ireland will need Government support. However, if Councils adopt this motion, this sends a signal to the Government that there is local-level support for residence-based voting rights. At the end of the day, as usual, the impacts of national legislation will be felt at the local level.

Every email helps, so do get involved! If you get a response - positive or negative - please let us know on ye@the3million.org.uk.

Where is ‘home for you’? Tell us a bit about what makes it home!

As the saying goes home is where the heart is. My heart is in Malta, where my family live and where I grew up under the sun and in the sea; but my heart is also in London, where I've built a life and career, and share a home with loved ones as well (especially my two gorgeous floofy cats!). I feel grateful every day to have a home in two very different but equally incredible places!

What does being an ‘EU/European citizen’ mean to you?

Being part of the EU means believing we have more in common than that which divides us, and being part of the European family means believing we are stronger in combination than the sum of our parts. Being able to live, work, study and travel across a community of states with like-minded values is an extraordinary thing, and whilst we may have our differences over policy challenges at times, I think that the EU motto of 'unity in diversity' accurately reflects the real value of being a European citizen.

What do you do for a living?

Professionally, I am full-time Lecturer in National Security Studies at King's College London and a board member of two local schools. When not lecturing or preparing lesson plans, you can find me at gigs, reading poetry and volunteering with civil society organisations across London.

How many languages do you speak?

My native languages are Maltese and English, I am fairly fluent in French and Italian, just about conversational in Arabic, and completed beginner courses in British Sign Language and Mandarin, with plenty of room for improvement to come. I love learning languages and always say that Wittgenstein was right when he said 'the limits of language are the limits of my world!'.

How long have you been a YEN volunteer for?

I've been a volunteer for about a year, although my full-time job and community responsibilities make it tough to attend as many meetings as I would like. I'm hoping to up my activity once the additional pressures of delivering education during COVID-19 have reduced because I firmly believe in the mission of this organisation and am so inspired by the energy and dynamism of its volunteers.

Without looking it up, name three countries that start with D.

Denmark, Djibouti and Dominica!

What do you do in the Young Europeans Network?

I help out wherever needed, whether this means filming campaign videos, proofreading articles, populating project spreadsheets, or battling for victory in the Christmas quiz! YEN runs so many varied campaigns on a whole range of important aspects of EU citizen rights, so there is always something to suit everybody's availability and interests.

If you could ask the Home Office to change 3 things about UK immigration policy, what would these be?

I would remove the hidden requirement for comprehensive sickness insurance that is a significant barrier for many people seeking to apply for citizenship. I would reduce the exorbitant cost of the whole citizenship process to make it more accessible. And I would extend voting rights for elections to all local residents who deserve to have a say about who decides policy in the country where they live, and which affects every area of their life on a daily basis!

What can politicians in the UK do to increase the representation and participation of young people in decision-making?

UK politicians should consult with youth on every policy issue. The youth perspective is invaluable on every issue: health, environment, education, housing, you name it. The voice of young people should not be sidelined solely with reference to 'youth issues' or only paid lip service to in a tokenistic manner. Instead, youth perspectives should be mainstreamed across every policy area, with effective channels for consultation in place, to ensure that decisions truly reflect their needs and that their ideas are not only heard, but concrete actions taken as a result.